The Smoothie
by Kathryn Claire O'Connor
Summary: Eric's having a rough time with something, and Katy decides that a little act of kindness might just go a long way.


**I'm honestly not sure what this is, I just got this picture in my head of Katy handing Eric a drink on the house at Topanga's to cheer him up, and... this happened. It's not meant to be shippy at all, but you can take it how you want it. Takes place post-Mr. Squirrels Goes to Washington. Enjoy!**

* * *

They won the election. Eric Matthews is now the senator of New York. But instead of being out at a huge, fancy party celebrating with the other stuff shirts that he'll now be rubbing elbows with, he's sitting silently in Topanga's staring out the window, and Katy doesn't know why. Then she follows his line of sight, sees what he's seeing.

Out on the patio, that young man, Tommy Murphy, is sitting with the people who came to help _him_ celebrate Senator Matthew's victory – his parents and sister.

 _Oh._

The young man that she was told Senator Matthews loves like a son is out there, happy and laughing and surrounded by the people who got to see him grow up. Tommy's got his arm slung around his father's shoulder, laughing at something his older sister said even as his mother shakes her head at him in amusement. And there's a sheen in Senator Matthews' eyes through the reflection in the window that makes him look like maybe he wants to cry.

It's time for her to start closing up the café, but there's no way that Katy's about to make the senator go out there and face that. Instead, she looks at him for a second, contemplating, before she makes one more drink for the night – a smoothie that Topanga had christened a Chocolate Explosion. It's not cocoa puffs – because, oh yeah, Maya told her about those – but maybe it'll be close enough.

She and Senator Matthews are the only two left inside the silent café, and she knows that he can hear her working in the library-hush of the space, but he doesn't notice the noise of the blender – or much of anything – as he keeps right on staring sadly out that window.

So it startles him a little when she walks over to him and sets the smoothie down by his folded hands.

"What's this?" he asks in surprise, raising his eyebrows and trying to look like there isn't an unusual amount of moisture in his eyes.

He's good at that, Katy's been told, keeping his true emotions to himself for the sake of others – but it's too late this time. She's already seen the wishful thinking in his eyes, the melancholy happiness for how Tommy grew up and the sadness that he wasn't there to watch it happen.

So she smiles at him, a small and kind of pointed gesture of her own to let him know that she's seen beyond his mask as she answers, "A Chocolate Explosion. On the house." Technically it's coming out of her pocket, but that's okay. She can always afford to do some little thing for someone else who needs it.

"Why?" he asks, and she suddenly understands why those that are closest to him call him an idiot genius. She knows with one glance from him that he sees everything she isn't saying.

"Because you're going to be really busy taking care of everyone else," he already is busy taking care of everyone else by suffering in silence, but she doesn't mention that. "So I thought maybe I could do something to take care of you this time." She shrugs. "I know it's a little thing, but I thought maybe it'd help."

He takes a timid drink of the smoothie then, and some of the sadness alleviates from his eyes, becomes a small smile as he turns his face back to her. "Yeah, it helps." She nods, satisfied that her mission is accomplished, and turns to go back to the counter. Then he says, "Thanks, Katy," and she stops, looks over her shoulder at him in surprise.

"You know my name?"

He chuckles. She's not sure why, but he does, and she's happy to see it as he nods, answering, "Of course I know your name. The others talk about you; they all like you very much."

She smiles again, although it's an uncertain motion, and turns to face him fully as she asks, "What 'others'?"

"Cory and Topanga, Riley, Cousin Auggie, even Angela mentioned you when I talked to her last week." He grins full-on now, a bright light coming into his eyes as he says, "And Maya and Shawn…? They love you like nobody else in this world." He shrugs, declaring, "Face it, you're one of us now."

She can only assume that he means one of the great seven that she's forever hearing stories about, and the idea flabbergasts her… delights her even. She smiles right back at him before muttering, "You guys really are a tight little group even now somehow, aren't you?"

He nods, a little bit of the melancholy seeping back into his expression as he answers, "We are, whenever we get back together again. I think we still care about each other very much, care for each other in our own ways."

"So who takes care of _you_?" she asks with narrowed eyes, going back to her original suspicion.

Eric laughs a little, shakes his head, and holds up the smoothie she gave him, muttering again, "Thanks, Katy."

It's not an answer… but it is, really. Eric takes care of Eric, that's who.

Katy sighs, nods at him without comment, and goes back to the counter with that thought in mind. She pours the last of the day's readymade tea into a mug, dresses it up to her own tastes, and goes back to his table, sliding into the seat across from him. Already his eyes had wandered back out the window, but when she sits down he looks at her, smiles that same fake smile that she doesn't buy – really, she's worn it herself too much for that – and she shoots a small smile right back at him.

She takes a sip of her tea, he slurps his smoothie, and they don't say anything… just sit there together until the Murphys get up and vacate the patio, Tommy waving cluelessly at Eric through the window as they go. He waves back with a broad smile, holding off his grimace until he's looking at Tommy's back. But Katy's there with Eric, he's not the only one who sees that he's hurting, and she gets the feeling that's more than enough for him.


End file.
